Description
Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross is a 3.35m (11ft) totem-like bronze sculpture, designed by Henry Moore in 1955 and erected on Margreig Hill beside Glenkiln Reservoir, Dumfriesshire in 1956.
The sculpture has a square column-like lower section surmounted by an abstracted mass of human proportion that is broadly reminiscent of a figurative or Celtic cross. The south face of the column has two step-like rectangular indentations near the base. Above this is a rectangular relief panel with a prominent raised crescent motif and incised vertical lines. The bulbous upper section has a thigh or belly-like swelling where it joins the lower section. Above this, short arm-like protrusions project from either side of the central mass, which is surmounted by a mushrooming 'head' that tapers to a rounded, elongated point with eye-like indentations at the apex.
The exposed hillside location has weathered the bronze to a vibrant blue-green colour. The sculpture is fixed to a white marble slab with no accompanying inscriptions.
Historical development
The sculpture known as Glenkiln Cross was designed in 1955/6 as one in a series of vertical pieces by the internationally renowned English sculptor, Henry Moore (1898–1986). Design elements from the lower column section of this work first appear in Moore's sketchbooks of the mid-1930s (tate.org).
As part of a pioneering experiment in the placing of modern figurative sculpture in a rugged moorland setting, landowner and art collector Sir William (Tony) Keswick assembled six bronze sculptures at his farm estate of Glenkiln in Kirkcudbrightshire between 1951 and 1962, beginning with Henry Moore's Standing Figure in 1951. This was followed by Moore's King and Queen (1953), Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross (1956) and Reclining Figure No.1 (on loan from 1962 to 1976). The collection included sculptures by other artists including St John the Baptist (1881, cast 1929) by Auguste Rodin, and Visitation (1926) by Jacob Epstein.
It seems that Keswick chose the Glenkiln Cross in 1955 from among thirteen vertical, totem-like maquettes that Moore had been working on for an abandoned commission in Milan (McEwen, pp.58–59, 79). These pieces, some of which were later cast in full-size bronze, became known collectively as Moore's 'Upright Motive' series.
The first casting of Upright Motive No.1 was installed on Margreig Hill in 1956. It was given the additional name Glenkiln Cross with Moore's approval, possibly before the work was called 'Upright Motive'.
In later years, Henry Moore acknowledged Glenkiln as a favourite place for the siting of his work. In 1984 he described the installation of Standing Figure in 1951 as 'the great breakthrough', noting that nothing had overshadowed it in his mind (McEwen, pp.42,80). Numerous photographs of Standing Figure (1951); King and Queen (1953); and Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross (1956) at Glenkiln were permanently pinned to the wall of Moore's maquette studio (McEwen, pp.70–72), demonstrating the value Moore placed on these placements of his work.
Since 2013, the Glenkiln Cross is the only sculpture to remain on the site (2025).
Statement of Special Interest
Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross (Glenkiln Cross) meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- As a key work within Henry Moore's Upright Motive series, and an important example of his mid-period development as a sculptor.
- As a rare example of a Henry Moore sculpture in Scotland that remains in-situ and which retains its landscape setting.
- As an experimental placing of modern sculpture in an open landscape setting for artistic purposes.
- As part of a pioneering forerunner of the countryside sculpture park/trail concept in Britain.
- For its direct association with internationally renowned artist and sculptor, Henry Moore, whose experience at Glenkiln informed his preference for placing sculptures in a natural outdoor environment.
Architectural interest
Design
Henry Moore (1898–1986) achieved international recognition as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. Influenced by the forms and shapes of the natural world, Moore's sculpture largely rejected classical ideas of beauty. He became involved with the Surrealist scene in London during the 1930s. He was increasingly known for his abstract reclining figures and is considered to have been at the height of his powers by the 1950s. He had socialist principles and felt that his work should be accessible to everyone.
Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross has been recognised for its artistic skill and design innovation. In 1960, art critic Will Grohmann observed that something like a legend had formed around Moore's Upright Motive series. He singled out Upright Motive No.1 as being "full of symbolic power” and "disturbing life” (Grohmann, 1960). In 1979, the historian and curator of the world's largest collection of Moore's work, Alan Wilkinson, suggested the Upright Motive series marked a turning point in Moore's development (Wilkinson, 1979).
Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross is a central work within the Upright Motive series and an important example of Moore's mid-period output, as his significance as an artist and sculptor developed.
Setting
Glenkiln Cross is set within 55 acres of rugged moorland and farmland at Glenkiln, Kirkcudbrightshire. It is located on the hillside of Margreig Hill beside Glenkiln Reservoir, which was created in 1934 to supply drinking water to the town of Dumfries. Nearby there is a memorial stone that was commissioned by Keswick after the death of Henry Moore in 1986. It is in the form of a large, uncarved block of local sandstone and is simply inscribed "Henry Moore 1898–1986”.
Moore believed that setting played a crucial role in the viewer's understanding of his sculptures (Finn, 2016). The site at Margreig Hill had previously been noted as a good location for a sculpture during one of Moore's visits to Glenkiln. While there is no evidence to suggest Moore designed Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross with the site in mind, discussion between Keswick and Moore recorded in 1984 indicates that all four sculptures by Moore were placed at Glenkiln with Moore's input and/or approval (McEwen, 1993).
While the Glenkiln Cross is now the only bronze sculpture on the site, the hillside setting with views over the reservoir and southwards towards the English border has not changed significantly since its installation in 1956.
Historic interest
Age and rarity
The cast of Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross at Glenkiln was the first of a run of six full-size bronzes of this design by Henry Moore, followed by an artist's own copy. Limited runs of a single design were typical of his studio's output during the 1940s and 1950s.
Two are currently displayed singularly (at Maschpark, Hannover and Hirshhorn Museum, Washington) while those at the Kröller-Müller Museum, Netherlands, the Amon Carter Museum, Texas, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England, are set between two other sculptures from Moore's Upright Motive series, in a triptych arrangement.
Of many works by Moore in England, eight are currently listed in their own right (2025). Three Standing Figures (list number 1357691) was exhibited at London County Council's first Open-Air Sculpture Exhibition at Battersea Park in 1948. Its current site at the park was chosen by Henry Moore in 1950.
Few large-scale sculptures by Henry Moore are located in Scotland. One important example is Reclining Figure that was commissioned for the Festival of Britain exhibition in 1951 and is now in the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh.
The Glenkiln Cross has special historic interest as a rare example of a Henry Moore sculpture in Scotland, that also remains in its original location.
Social historical interest
The placing of stone memorials and religious monuments, typically in the form of obelisks, columns, and crosses, on hilltop locations by estate landowners has a long tradition in Scotland, with many examples recognised as listed buildings. Our Lady of the Isles (Hew Lorimer,1956-58, LB50888) on South Uist is a contemporary example of religious figurative sculpture in a moorland landscape setting.
The placing of figurative sculptures in remote landscapes for solely artistic purposes, however, was an innovation of the mid-twentieth century. The Glenkiln experiment was a very early example, with few direct precedents. While seemingly not placed specifically with visitors in mind, the sculptures at Glenkiln were freely accessible to the public, and the site has been interpreted as a forerunner of the countryside sculpture park/trail concept in Britain.
Between 1948 and 1966, Battersea Park and Holland Park in London hosted seven open-air exhibitions of sculpture. The first exhibition was ground-breaking in its curated display of 20th century sculpture outside in a public park rather than an indoor gallery. Works by Moore featured in all seven exhibitions including a casting of his Standing Figure in 1951. A later casting of Upright Motive No.1: Glenkiln Cross was displayed at the 1960 exhibition and featured on the cover of that year's catalogue.
While the open-air exhibitions in London challenged attitudes towards the display of sculpture, the Glenkiln initiative (beginning 1951) took contemporary sculpture beyond a formal parkland or garden setting, towards something Henry Moore described as 'an absolute relationship with nature' (McEwen, 1993).
A BBC documentary about Moore called A Sculptor's Landscape (1958) highlighted the placements at Glenkiln, including Glenkiln Cross, accompanied by the sound of howling wind. In 1977, art historian, broadcaster and director of the National Gallery, Kenneth Clark, wrote that "the supreme examples of siting Moore's work are Tony Keswick's placements of four pieces on his sheep farm at Glenkiln. The siting is what one might call a Wordsworthian use of sculpture and is, as far as I know, unique” (Finn, 1977).
The placing of modern sculpture within rural landscape settings for artistic purposes has since become an accepted norm, with public sculpture parks and trails established across Britain. The Glenkiln Cross is of social historical interest as part of a prototype countryside sculpture park/trail in Scotland.
Association with people or events of national importance
The Glenkiln Cross has a direct association with the sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986), who achieved international renown during his lifetime. It was erected at a location discussed and agreed between himself and Glenkiln landowner, Sir William (Tony) Keswick. The experience of situating this work and others outside at Glenkiln directly informed Moore's preference for placing his sculptures in an outdoor environment. The Glenkiln Cross is the only original example of his sculpture at this location (2025) and there is a memorial stone to Moore located close by.